George Richards, FHN Publisher
MacKenzie Weegar is, without much doubt, one of the Florida Panthers’ draft success stories.
Taken in the seventh round in 2013 — after the Panthers traded back into the draft to take him — Weegar has worked his way into a top-pairing defenseman who continues to get better.
Now, it appears he will remain with the Panthers for a while.
On Friday morning, Weegar and the Panthers avoided arbitration as the two sides agreed to a three-year contract extension.
“MacKenzie is a solid two-way competitor who brings tenacity and skill to our lineup,” GM Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team just after noon on Friday.
“He has developed into a key member of the Panthers both on and off the ice and we look forward to him taking the next step in his career.”
It looks like a fair deal on both sides, although financially, the Panthers appear to have a bargain in what are hard financial times.
Weegar, on the other hand, gets some security.
The 26-year-old has filed for arbitration three times, settling on two occasions including this one.
For the past three seasons, Weegar has played on a one-year contract although, as a restricted free agent, he knew he was likely to return to the Panthers.
“I have been with the organization for eight years now so this is home for me,” Weegar told FHN a few weeks ago.
“I don’t know what it would feel like if I had to leave Florida and I don’t want to find out. I want to remain a Florida Panther as long as I possibly can and I tell that to everyone.
“I truly do love it here, I love the team and we have a bright future. Hopefully this remains the case.”
With this three-year deal, Florida bought two years of unrestricted free agency and, again, did so on the cheap.
Weegar’s contract works out to an average of $3.25 million which is double what he made last season.
Florida will pay Weegar $2 million this coming season, $3 million in 2021-22 and $4.75 million in the final year of the contract.
With the signing of Weegar, who had been the subject of unfounded trade rumors the past few months, Florida sits about $6.5 million under the NHL’s flat salary cap of $81.5 million.
The Panthers still have to sign RFA forward Aleksi Saarela (who has started his 2020-21 season in Finland) and, perhaps, center Henrik Borgstrom.
Borgstrom could spend this entire season in Finland as he continues to work his way back from an injury apparently suffered at the end of the AHL season in Springfield.
So far, Borgstrom has yet to play with his hometown HIFK Helsinki even though he signed with them weeks ago.
More on this story as the day goes on.